Biography

“This is Soul for today: tight, sophisticated, and up-to-date…a winner” (San Diego Troubadour). Tori Roze and The Hot Mess are a soulful force to be reckoned with. Gathering their musical thunder from an extremely eclectic time and space spanning centuries, this band busts straight through the glass ceiling of genre-bending: original funky jazzy neo-soul music exploding with grit, integrity, and vulnerability.

Roze is a key artist in conveying the emotional intent behind a song. “Hearing Tori Roze’s sultry voice for the first time is like learning that Santa Claus isn’t real: it absolutely breaks your heart. Roze seduces you with her Erykah Badu-esque flair, and just when you think she can’t be any smoother, she claws her way into your ears with her rocking roars” (San Diego City Beat). The Hot Mess, comprised of five exceptional “pocket” players nailing unexpected arrangements to “blow your top” (one of which is Tori’s mother), leaves you reeling with toe-tapping excitement. Instrumentation: guitar (Johnny Alexander), bass (Harley Magsino), trombone/keys (Jordan Morita), flute/backup vocals (Lee Clark), vocals/trumpet/hand percussion (Tori Roze), and rotating drummers (Charles Weller & Tim Newton) complete this motley crew of intuitive technicians. The name says it all: The Hot Mess. Do not expect for their arrangements to be predictable or run-of-the-mill—this band is audibly unique. Musically likened to Chicago + Earth, Wind, and Fire with a slap of Amy Winehouse + Janis Joplin-style vocals; these guys have got the recipe for eargasmic pleasure.

Their debut album “From the Hip” was recorded live in one room, in one day, with 1-3 takes per song (something unheard of today) completing a full length LP with Grammy Award winning engineer Alan Sanderson. The band’s sophomore album “Turbulence” (which Roze deems a “modern-day eight track” because the album boasts eight hearty tracks) was recorded by San Diego-based recording great, engineer/musician Ben Moore. And finally, their most recent single “Irish Coffee” was brandished by the welcoming company of highly reputable San Diego-based musician/engineer Jeff Berkley. Most recently, their song “Sweet Drank” appeared in the film 66 & Nowhere (IMDB). With over seven hundred shows, six tours (New York, Austin, SF Bay Area, US West Coast, S. California), opening for huge acts (Nikka Costa, Sister Sparrow and The Dirty Birds, The Bird and The Bee), two albums, a licensed song, and a single under foot; the band is currently working on their third album, “Baggage Claim,” due out on all major digital platforms in summer 2018.

“We pride ourselves on not fitting into the mainstream. The beauty is in the difference. We make genuine art. We shape sound. We care about what we do. We like to put some stank on it, bottom line,” Roze says of their fearless musical style.

Their unique edge of heart-driven funky soul-jazz grooves enveloped in the emotionally potent lyrical truth that Roze serves up in spades; Tori Roze and The Hot Mess deliver serious human connection and an original sound that is absolutely unforgettable.